1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a manufacturing network, and in particular, to a global communications network of a manufacturing facility in which multiple assembly stations are under control of database driven network and in which instructional, manufacturing and test functions are integrated into an interactive system for use by a parts assembler.
2. Description of the Related Art
Notwithstanding the substantive progress made in recent years in automated manufacturing techniques, the manual assembly of component parts is still predominant in certain industries. Exemplary of this is the assembly of optical components into optical devices such as optical amplifiers. The typical such plant or factory, in which one or more assemblers is assigned the task of manually assembling one or more component parts, suffers numerous drawbacks.
For example, the assembler's station is usually accompanied by several bulky instruction manuals, such as three-ring binders laid open on the surface of the work station. These manuals are often awkward to handle and intrusive in the work space. Also, time is expended in turning pages as work progresses, and updates require the cumbersome replacement of pages of each manual at each station.
In addition, in cases where the assembler's duties include test and measurement functions, the conventional workstation must rely heavily on the attentiveness and precision of the assembler to ensure accurate results. The assembler is instructed to follow exactly the test and measurement routines specified in the manuals, and to accurately record results. However, in most cases the assembler will test numerous devices which fall well within specifications. This inevitably leads to a state of complacency on the part of the assembler, who comes to expect positive test results, and substantially increases the possibility of the assembler reading false-positives, i.e., testing a "bad" component or subassembly as "good". This situation ultimately results in decreased device yields.
This problem of decreased yields is further compounded in the case of updates in assembly or test routines. The assembler, due to repetition over a long period of time, often becomes accustomed to carrying out the certain steps in a given process. In fact, one can expect that the assembler will rely almost entirely on memory, eventually getting to the point where there are little or no references made to the instruction manuals. This makes it difficult to ensure the procedural updates are correctly being followed by the assembler, and in fact, reduces the probability of actual compliance with the new assembly routine. Again, the result is a reduction in device yields.